More than three million brave members of the military are trained to work together as a part of a unit to accomplish daily tasks and support one another in combat. But what happens when you transition from being an active service member to a Veteran? Where do 200,000 transitioning service members get support to help adapt to civilian life every year?
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)’s vision is “to provide veterans the world-class benefits and services they have earned — and to do so by adhering to the highest standards of compassion, commitment, excellence, professionalism, integrity, accountability, and stewardship.” One of the first lessons I learned when I supported the VA is that every single person working for the agency is dedicated to fulfilling President Lincoln’s promise.
Every year, VA staff and contractors work with Veterans around the country to identify new ways to support them and roll out innovative programs to cater to their unique needs. In a more personal connection, I learned about the recent launch of the Whole Health System in the North Florida/South Georgia region through one of our service-disabled, veteran-owned small business (SDVOSB) partners at Rigaud Global Company (RGC). Founders Raphael and Dawn leveraged their family’s military experience to further enhance the ongoing Whole Health initiative at VA North Florida.
Imagine becoming aware that you now have control over your own health plan. Your plan can be personalized and offer new options you may have never considered to help improve your quality of life. Those options may include yoga, acupuncture, meditation, or discussing goals with a coach. “Center of Your Own Care” is a new term to many of us, but it has the capability to provide our Veterans with the team they need and re-invent the way we approach healthcare.
To all of our Veterans, we recognize your bravery and thank you for your service! The Avid Core team supports you and we hope you’ll share your #LiveWholeHealth stories with us. We would especially like to thank Raphael and Dawn Rigaud for educating us about their meaningful work and allowing us to help amplify it!